Snapchat just filed for its IPO, Nescafe is deepening its ties with Facebook

Global digital news of the day: Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, has filed confidentially for its initial public offering, Nescafe is not letting the troubles Facebook has encountered over the past few months deter it from investing more budget, and more

Snapchat just filed for its IPO: Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, has filed confidentially for its initial public offering, according to a report from Bloomberg. The company is seeking to raise as much as $4 billion, which would give it a valuation of between $25 billion and $35 billion, the report states.

Snapchat inks deal with Foursquare for more precise geofilters: Snapchat will soon be able to show you ads that more precisely pinpoint where you are at any given time. Snap, the company behind the ephemeral messaging app, just reached a deal with Foursquare that will allow it to use the location intelligence company’s extensive library of mapping data to power its geofilters, the place-specific graphics that users can overlay on their photos.

Facebook launches a unified inbox for businesses on Facebook, Messenger and Instagram: Facebook is unveiling a new feature that should make it easier for businesses to stay on top of conversations across Facebook, Facebook Messenger and Instagram. Benji Shomair, Facebook’s global head of Pages, described the new functionality as “one of our most frequent requests.”

Pinterest launches an ‘Explore’ section for trending topics and ideas: Pinterest today is launching a new section of the app that is geared around surfacing trending and top ideas that’ll get additional new content in front of users. Called “Explore,” it’s a new section of Pinterest that pits its recommendation algorithms against trending content across Pinterest from publishers and other sources that’ll get content in front of users that their existing social graph might not tap into. This is something that a lot of other apps already tap into — such as Instagram’s explore and Snapchat’s discover features.

Facebook Messenger now works in Android Auto: On the heels of Google’s announcement that its in-car infotainment platform Android Auto can now function as a standalone mobile app, Facebook today announced that it’s now rolling out Android Auto integration on Messenger. That means Android Auto users will be able to listen to and reply to texts from friends on Messenger using voice commands.

Twitter reveals new features to protect you from online harassment: As promised, Twitter has revealed new features to further defend you against online harassment and abuse. Rolling out in “the coming days”, the service’s 317 million monthly active users will be able to utilize a “mute” feature on their notifications, preventing tweets from being displayed based on specific keywords, phrases, and entire conversations.

Google Buys Shopping Search Startup in Bid to Increase Revenue From Images: Google last month quietly bought Undecidable Labs, a startup founded by a former Apple director that focused on turning online searches into purchases, according to a person familiar with the deal.

Why Nescafe is deepening its ties with Facebook: Nestle-owned Nescafe is not letting the troubles Facebook has encountered over the past few months deter it from investing more budget into the social network as the coffee-brand forges ahead with its ambitious e-commerce plans.

Twitter and NBA secure exclusive ad partners for original livestreaming shows: Over the summer, during a string of seemingly weekly livestream partnerships with sports leagues, Twitter announced that it was teaming with the NBA to create original content for the platform.

Hulu acquires The Video Genome Project to improve recommendations ahead of live TV service’s launch: Amid a growing number of video streaming services, Hulu today has finalized an acquisition that will allow it to better compete on user experience, by way of improved recommendations. The company has bought the assets The Video Genome Project (The VGP), which maintains one of the largest, structured databases of video content. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and Hulu says only a small team from The VGP will join the company.